California's Asian Spring

Racial preferences punish part of the liberal majority.

March 21, 2014 7:03 p.m. ET

Democrats claim to be a multi-ethnic "coalition of the ascendant," but identity politics has inherent contradictions. Witness the victory this week by three liberal Asian-American lawmakers in blocking Sacramento's Democratic supermajority from trying to overturn California's ban on racial preferences (Prop. 209).

In January, Democratic state senators voted unanimously with little debate to place a constitutional amendment gutting Prop. 209 on the November ballot, which requires a two-thirds vote of both...